This invention relates generally to ice fishing equipment and, more particularly, to a tip-up ice fishing rig for inhibiting the freezing of an ice fishing hole that provides an illuminated signal when a fish has been hooked.
Ice fishing is a popular water sport in winter climates where bodies of water are frozen for prolonged periods of time. Typically, an auger is used to bore a hole in the ice through which a fishing line is extended for the purpose of catching a fish. Avid ice fishermen often bore several holes at various locations across the frozen body of water and set up ice fishing rigs, also called tip-ups, to fish the area beneath each hole. The main purpose of a tip-up ice fishing rig is to cover the hole to inhibit the freezing of the water within the hole. Premature freezing of an ice hole is particularly problematic for fishermen attempting to fish several holes at once or where the holes must be left unattended for prolonged periods of time, such as while the fisherman retreats from exposure to the elements of the winter weather.
Another problem experienced by fishermen attending to multiple ice holes is determining which ice fishing rigs have in fact hooked a fish without manually checking each rig. Although several rigs presented in the prior art utilize flags which spring up to a vertical position when a fish is hooked, these devices are not as effective where ice fishing rigs are spread out over a large portion of the body of water and where the ice rigs are being monitored during the early morning or dusk hours.
A further disadvantage of the ice fishing rigs presented in the prior art is that they are relatively complex in construction and expensive to manufacture. While some of the components of an ice fishing rig must in fact be manufactured and purchased, others can be adapted and assembled using parts and tools already owned by most fishermen.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a tip-up ice fishing rig that can inhibit the freezing of water within an ice hole. It is further desirable to have an ice fishing rig that can provide an illuminated signal when a fish has been hooked. It is also desirable to have an ice fishing rig that can be constructed in part with common components.